Rigid shoe shell of a skate

ABSTRACT

A rigid shoe shell of a skate has a heel portion, two quarter portions respectively extending from two opposite sides of the heel portion, and at least one resilient cushion region formed on an upper edge of the rigid shoe shell. In some embodiments each of the at least one resilient cushion region has multiple strips that have an upper distal end being a free end. Since the strips are bendable, the upper edge of the rigid shoe shell resiliently presses against a lower leg of a wearer of the skate without rubbing against the lower leg of the wearer, thereby providing good protection effect.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present invention relates to a skate, especially to a rigid shoe shell of a skate.

2. Description of the Prior Art(s)

In order to manufacture skates with good protection effects for hockey, ice skate, or inline skate, shoe shells of most of the skates are made of materials having high strength and stiffness. Such materials having high strength and stiffness may include carbon fibers, glass fibers, and plastic materials such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or the like. The materials can be pressed, injected, or extruded to be preformed as a panel, which is then cut, molded and cured to form the shoe shell. The shoe shell made of the high strength and stiffness materials is impact resistant and bending resistant, so as to provide good protection effects to feet of wearers of the skates.

However, since the shoe shell is made of materials having high strength and stiffness, edges of the shoe shell can be hard and lack resilience. Thus, despite a soft liner being mounted on an inner surface of the shoe shell, when the hard edge of the shoe shell press and rub against the lower leg of the wearer during use, the hard edge concentrates forces on the wearer's lower leg, causing discomfort and possible injury.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a shoe shell for a skate that is rigid, supportive, and provides protection to the wearer's foot, but which has an edge that reduces or avoids delivering concentrated forces to a wearer's leg upon contact with the leg.

In accordance with one embodiment, a rigid shoe shell of a skate has a heel portion, two quarter portions, and at least one resilient cushion region. The quarter portions are respectively formed on and extend from two opposite sides of the heel portion. Each of the quarter portions can have an eyelet portion disposed at an upper part of the quarter portion. The at least one resilient cushion region is formed on an upper edge of the rigid shoe shell and has increased flexibility relative to adjacent parts of the quarter portion.

In some such embodiments, each of the at least one resilient cushion regions has multiple slits separately extending down from the upper edge of the rigid shoe shell and dividing the resilient cushion region into multiple strips. Each of the strips has an upper distal end being a free end.

Since the strips are bendable, the upper edge of the rigid shoe shell resiliently presses against a lower leg of a wearer of the skate without concentrating forces on the lower leg of the wearer. Thus, the lower leg of the wearer is less likely to be wounded by the rigid shoe shell and less likely to become swollen, scraped, and even bleeding. The rigid shoe shell of the skate has good protection effect.

Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a rigid shoe shell of a skate;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a rigid shoe shell of a skate;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a rigid shoe shell of a skate;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of a rigid shoe shell taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an unfolded view of a rigid shoe shell embodiment configured as in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an unfolded view of a rigid shoe shell embodiment configured as in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 7 is an operational perspective view of the rigid shoe shell in FIG. 5 assembled with a sole.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIG. 1, a rigid shoe shell of a skate in accordance with an embodiment can be made of carbon fibers and/or glass fibers combined with one or more plastic material such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or the like. In some embodiments, the carbon fibers, the glass fibers, and the plastic materials can be pressed, injected, or extruded to be preformed as a panel. Then the panel is cut and molded to form the rigid shoe shell having high strength and stiffness in three dimensions. In some embodiments, the carbon fibers, the glass fibers, and the plastic materials can be directly molded and cured to form the three-dimensional rigid shoe shell.

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the rigid shoe shell comprises a heel portion 10 and two opposing quarter portions 11. The heel portion 10 has two opposite sides. The quarter portions 11 are respectively formed on and extend from the sides of the heel portion 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the quarter portions 11 and the heel portion 10 are integrally formed as a single piece. In other embodiments, the heel and quarter can be formed separately and later attached to one another.

Each of the quarter portions 11 has a lower eyelet portion 110, an upper eyelet portion 111 and a top portion 112 between the upper eyelet portion 111 and the heel portion 10. An upper edge 13 of each quarter portion 11 extends from the heel portion 10 through the quarter top portion 112, the upper eyelet portion 111 and the lower eyelet portion 110. In the illustrated embodiment, as it extends from the top portion 112 to the upper eyelet portion 111, the upper edge 13 dramatically changes direction, turning downwardly through an angle of about 90°, and at least about 75°, and having an apex 14.

Resilient cushion regions 20 are formed in the top portion 112 of each quarter portion 11 of the rigid shoe shell. In each of the resilient cushion regions 20 multiple, spaced-apart slits 21 extend downwardly from the upper edge 13 of the rigid shoe shell to a border 23, and divide the resilient cushion region 20 into multiple strips 22. Each of the strips 22 of the resilient cushion regions 20 has an upper distal end being a free end. Since the strips are detached along their edges, they more readily bend upon application of a force. Thus, when a wearer's leg pushes against the cushion region, the strips resiliently deflect due to the force of the leg, increasing force distribution between the leg and the rigid shoe shell so as to increase comfort and reduce the risk of injury.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, in one embodiment, the rigid shoe shell further comprises a tendon guard 12 extending upwardly from the heel portion 10. Preferably, the tendon guard 12 also has an upper edge 113. In the illustrated embodiment, the rear tendon guard 12 and the heel portion 10 are integrally formed as a single piece.

Preferably, the upper edge 113 of the tendon guard 12 also has a back resilient cushion region 30 comprising multiple, spaced apart slits 31 that define a plurality of strips 32 that can have structure and function similar to the slits 21 and strips 22 of the other cushion regions 20. As such, the cushion regions 20, 30 increase wearer comfort for the sides and back of the wearer's leg when wearing a skate boot employing the illustrated rigid shoe shell of the skate.

Some rigid shoe shell embodiments of the skate may not have a tendon guard. It is to be understood that in such embodiments a back resilient cushion region can be arranged along an upper edge in the heel portion 10.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, in the illustrated embodiment, each of the quarter resilient cushion regions 20 further has an arcuate border 23. As noted above, preferably the slits 21 that form the strips 22 extend from the upper edge to the border 23. The border 23 of the quarter resilient cushion region 20 is arcuate, having and has two ends and a middle part. The ends of the border 23 of the quarter resilient cushion region 20 intersect the upper edge of the quarter portion 11, and thus define the ends of the cushion region 20. A distance D1 is defined between the middle part of the border 23 of the quarter resilient cushion region 20 and the upper edge of the corresponding quarter portion 11. The distance D1 preferably demarcates the longest slit 21 (and the strip 22) of the cushion region 20. In preferred embodiments, the distance D1 ranges from about 3 millimeter (mm) to 15 mm.

As shown in FIG. 1 and discussed above, the strips 21 in the cushion regions 20 are not all the same length. Specifically, they are longest in the middle part, and become progressively shorter moving toward the two ends. As such, the illustrated cushion regions 20 have greatest resilience in the middle part. Such differential resilience can contribute to assisting a wearer's leg into remaining in an ideal position relative to the skate shell. Further, in this configuration, the slit 21 on one side of a strip 22 may be a different length than the slit 21 on the other side of the strip 22. As such, the strips 22 on one side of the middle part may tend to twist slightly when subjected to a force, and the strips 22 on the other side of the middle part may tend to twist slightly in an opposite direction when subjected to a force.

With further reference to FIG. 4, in some embodiments, a thickness W of the rigid shoe shell of the skate decreases in each of the quarter resilient cushion regions 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the thickness W progressively decreases moving from the arced border 23 of the quarter resilient cushion region 20 to the upper edge 13 of the corresponding quarter portion 11. In the illustrated embodiment, the thickness W of each of the quarter resilient cushion regions 20 at the upper edge 13 of the quarter portion 11 is 0.1 mm to 1 mm.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the cushion regions 20 employ both the plurality of strips 22 and the decreasing thickness. It is to be understood that other embodiments may employ only strips 22, and not have a decreasing thickness. Also, some embodiments may employ far fewer strips 22, such as one, two, three or the like, combined with decreasing thickness. Also, the strips 22 may or may not follow an arcuate border, and in some embodiments, the portion of decreasing thickness may or may not be aligned with the border. Still further embodiments may employ a cushion region having decreasing thickness, but not employing strips.

As noted above, the rear resilient cushion region 30 is formed on the upper edge of the tendon guard 12. Since the strips 32 of the rear resilient cushion region 30 are bendable, the upper edge of the rear extension sheet 12 that has the rear resilient cushion region 30 is resilient.

Moreover, the rear resilient cushion region 30 further has a border 33. The border 33 of the rear resilient cushion region 30 preferably is arcuate and has two ends and a middle part. The ends of the border 33 of the rear resilient cushion region 30 preferably intersect with the upper edge of the tendon guard 12. A distance D2 is defined between the middle part of the border 33 of the rear resilient cushion region 30 and the upper edge of the tendon guard 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the distance D2 is 5 mm to 15 mm.

In the illustrated embodiment, a thickness of the rear resilient cushion region 30 decreases moving from the border 33 of the rear resilient cushion region 30 to the upper edge 113 of the tendon guard 12. The thickness of the rear resilient cushion region 30 at the upper edge 113 of the tendon guard 12 is 0.1 mm to 1 mm.

In some embodiments the rear resilient cushion region 30 may not employ decreasing skate shell thickness. Further, as the anatomy of the wearer's leg is different at the upper edge of the tendon guard, the border 33 can have a different shape than the borders 23 of the quarter resilient cushion regions 20.

With reference next to FIG. 2, in a second preferred embodiment, the rigid shoe shell has two resilient cushion regions 20 in the top portion 112 of the quarter portion 11, and two eyelet resilient cushion regions 40. The illustrated eyelet resilient cushion regions 40 are respectively formed on the upper eyelet portions 111 of the quarter portions 11, preferably at the location at which the upper edge is dramatically changing direction. As with other embodiments, the eyelet resilient cushion regions 40 comprise strips 42 defined by slits 41 that extend from the upper edge to a border 43. As in other embodiments, the strips 42 are bendable, so that the upper edges of the quarter portions 11 at which the eyelet resilient cushion regions 40 are disposed are resilient.

As shown in FIG. 2, the eyelet resilient cushion regions 40 can have a different arcuate border shape than do cushion regions 20. For example, border 23 is generally concave relative to the upper edge, while border 43 is generally convex relative to the upper edge. In the illustrated embodiment, the strips 42 are not as long as the strips 22, and the eyelet resilient cushion regions 40 provide less resilience than do quarter resilient cushion regions 20. However, as shown, the longest and most resilient of the strips 42 generally correspond to the apex 14 of the turning upper edge 13 in the upper eyelet portion 111.

With reference next to FIG. 3, in a third preferred embodiment, the rigid shoe shell has two resilient cushion regions 20A, which are labeled two quarter resilient cushion regions 20A. The illustrated quarter resilient cushion regions 20A are respectively formed on the upper edges of the quarter portions 11 in the top portion 112 adjacent to the heel portion 10, and extend forwardly into the upper eyelet portion 111 of a corresponding one of the quarter portions 11. Since the strips 22A of the quarter resilient cushion region 20A are bendable, the upper edges of the quarter portions 11 that have the quarter resilient cushion regions 20A are resilient.

As shown, a border 23A of the quarter resilient cushion region 20A can have an undulating arcuate shape. Further, in the illustrated embodiment, at least some of the slits 21A are parallel to one another, but others of the slits 21 are not parallel to one another.

As shown in FIG. 1, 2, or 3, the rigid shoe shell may be formed without a sole portion. In these embodiments, instead of the sole portion integrally formed on the rigid shoe shell, a sole sheet is additionally attached to a bottom of the rigid shoe shell.

With further reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, in some embodiments, the rigid shoe shell may be preformed as a planar panel 1 before being cured to a rigid state. FIGS. 5 and 6 correspond to configurations such as are depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively, but preformed as a planar panel 1. Each of the quarter portions 11 on the panel 1 further has a sole support portion 131. The sole support portion 131 is disposed at a lower part of the quarter portion 11.

With further reference to FIG. 7, the planar panel 1 preferably is wrapped about a mold, the sole sheet 15 added, and the sole support portions 151 are bent inwardly. Thus, a sole sheet 15 can be mounted on and adhered to the sole support portions 151. The assembled rigid skate can be cured in the shape as depicted in FIG. 7.

Alternatively, the sole sheet and the rigid shoe shell may be integrally formed as a single piece.

Once the rigid shoe shell of the skate is formed, further steps to manufacture a skate can be performed. For example, the rigid shoe shell can be combined with a toecap, linings, additional padding and/or impact absorbing materials, additional decorative elements, a blade holder (or chassis), laces, and so forth to form the skate.

The rigid shoe shell of a skate embodiments as described herein are made of high strength and high stiffness materials that provide excellent impact resistance and bending resistance, and thus provide good protection effects to foot of a wearer of the skate. With the resilient quarter resilient cushion regions 20, 20A, the resilient eyelet resilient cushion regions 40, and the resilient rear resilient cushion region 30, the upper edges of the rigid shoe shell resiliently presses against a lower leg of the wearer of the skate, but with modulated force that maximizes comfort and minimizes discomfort and risk of injury. Moreover, as the thicknesses of the rigid skate shall in one or more of the resilient quarter resilient cushion regions 20, 20A, the resilient eyelet resilient cushion regions 40, and the resilient rear resilient cushion region 30 can be decreased toward the upper edge of the rigid shoe shell, the upper edge of the rigid shoe shell is more flexible. Thus, the lower leg of the wearer is not wounded by the rigid shoe shell and does not become swollen, scraped and even bleeding. The rigid shoe shell of the skate has good protection effect.

It is to be understood that, in additional embodiments, additional structural arrangements can be employed to create the cushion regions. For example, in another embodiment, materials are selected and placed in the rigid skate shell so that the skate shell in the cushion region is configured with a more flexible mix of materials than elsewhere in the skate shell. For example, a lower-modulus fiber and a relatively flexible injected plastic may be employed in the cushion region, while higher-modulus fibers are used elsewhere in the rigid skate shell. Such manipulation of materials can be use instead of or in addition to other structures discussed herein such as varying the thickness and/or forming the slots.

Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and features of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in the details, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A rigid shoe shell of a skate comprising: a heel portion; two quarter portions respectively formed on and extending from two opposite sides of the heel portion; an upper edge; and at least one resilient cushion region formed on the upper edge of the rigid shoe shell, each of the at least one resilient cushion region having multiple slits separately extending down from the upper edge of the rigid shoe shell and dividing the resilient cushion region into multiple strips, and each of the strips of the resilient cushion region having an upper distal end being a free end.
 2. The rigid shoe shell as in claim 1, wherein each of the quarter portions further has an upper edge; and the rigid shoe shell has two resilient cushion regions which are quarter resilient cushion regions, and the quarter resilient cushion regions are respectively formed on the upper edges of the quarter portions adjacent to the heel portion.
 3. The rigid shoe shell as in claim 2, wherein each of the quarter resilient regions further has a border being arced and having two ends connected to the upper edge of a corresponding one of the quarter portions; and a middle part spaced apart from the upper edge of the corresponding quarter portion by 3 millimeter (mm) to 15 mm; and a thickness of each of the quarter resilient cushion regions is decreased from the arced border of the quarter resilient cushion region to the upper edge of the corresponding quarter portion, and the thickness of each of the quarter resilient cushion regions at the upper edge of the quarter portion is 0 lmm to 1 mm.
 4. The rigid shoe shell as in claim 1, wherein the heel portion further has an upper edge; the rigid shoe shell further comprises a tendon guard formed on and extending from the upper edge of the heel portion, and having an upper edge; and one of the at least one resilient cushion region is a rear resilient cushion region, and the rear resilient cushion region is formed on the upper edge of the tendon guard.
 5. The rigid shoe shell as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the quarter portions further has an upper edge and an eyelet portion disposed at an upper part of the quarter portion; and the rigid shoe shell has two resilient cushion regions which are two eyelet resilient cushion regions, and the eyelet resilient cushion regions are respectively formed on the upper edges of the quarter portions and respectively correspond in position to the eyelet portions of the quarter portions.
 6. The rigid shoe shell as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of the quarter portions further has an upper edge and an eyelet portion disposed at an upper part of the quarter portion; and the rigid shoe shell has two resilient cushion regions which are two quarter resilient cushion regions, the quarter resilient cushion regions are respectively formed on the upper edges of the quarter portions adjacent to the heel portion, and each of the quarter resilient cushion regions extends forward to correspond in position to the eyelet portion of a corresponding one of the quarter portions.
 7. A rigid shell for a skate, comprising: a heel portion; two quarter portions respectively formed on and extending from two opposite sides of the heel portion, each quarter portion having an upper edge; and a resilient cushion region formed in one of the quarter portions at and adjacent a portion of the upper edge, the resilient cushion region defined between a border and the upper edge, the border being arcuate and having first and second ends, the border intersecting the upper edge at the first and second ends; wherein the resilient cushion region is more flexible than the portion of the quarter portion adjacent the resilient cushion region.
 8. The rigid shell for a skate of claim 7, wherein the cushion region comprises a middle part disposed between first and second end parts, the first and second end parts being nearer the first and second ends, respectively, than is the middle part, and wherein the cushion region is more flexible in the middle part than in the first and second end parts.
 9. The rigid shell for a skate of claim 8, wherein the quarter portion in the cushion region has a reduced thickness relative to the portion of the quarter portion adjacent the cushion region.
 10. The rigid shell for a skate of claim 9, wherein the quarter portion in the cushion region becomes progressively thinner moving from the border toward the upper edge.
 11. The rigid shell for a skate of claim 10, wherein a plurality of slits extend from the border to the upper edge so as to define a plurality of strips that are attached at the border and have a free end at the upper edge.
 12. The rigid shell for a skate of claim 11, wherein a first slit on a first side of one of the strips is longer than a second slit on a second side of the one of the strips.
 13. A rigid shell for a skate, comprising: a heel portion; two quarter portions respectively formed on and extending from two opposite sides of the heel portion, each quarter portion having a top portion, an upper eyelet portion, and a lower eyelet portion, an upper quarter edge extending through the top portion, upper eyelet portion, and lower eyelet portion, the upper quarter edge changing direction moving from the top portion to the upper eyelet portion so as to define a curve having an apex in the upper eyelet portion; and a resilient quarter cushion region formed in one of the quarter portions at and adjacent the upper edge, the resilient quarter cushion region having a first end and a second end, the first end being in the top portion, the second end being in the upper eyelet portion, the apex being between the first and second ends; wherein the upper edge has increased flexibility in the resilient quarter cushion region relative to the rest of the upper edge.
 14. The rigid shell for a skate of claim 13 additionally comprising a tendon guard extending upwardly from the heel portion and having a tendon guard upper edge, a rear cushion region defined along a portion of the tendon guard upper edge, the tendon guard upper edge having increased flexibility in the rear cushion region relative to the rest of the tendon guard upper edge.
 15. The rigid shell for a skate of claim 13 additionally comprising an arcuate border extending from the first end to the second end of the quarter cushion region, the border being spaced from the upper edge between the first and second ends, the quarter cushion region defined between the border and the upper edge.
 16. The rigid shell for a skate of claim 15, wherein a plurality of slits extend from the border to the upper edge so as to define a plurality of strips that are attached at the border and have a free end at the upper edge.
 17. The rigid shell for a skate of claim 16, wherein a first one of the strips is longer than a second one of the strips.
 18. The rigid shell for a skate of claim 17, wherein the arcuate border has a generally upwardly concave part in the top portion and a generally upwardly convex part in the upper eyelet portion.
 19. The rigid shell for a skate of claim 16, wherein a thickness of the strips progressively decreases moving from the border to the free end. 